Our office is located on Bannister Lake in the town of Halifax, Virginia. Last summer someone abandoned a poor little duck on the lake; he she (we found out it's a girl!) would come around when we kayaked, but would never come close. This past January we had a snowstorm of about 10" and the temperature was close to 0; we were able to find him her hiding in brush - covered in ice and snow, and frantic with hunger. We started feeding him her off of the dock, and he she started coming back every evening at 5pm to eat.

When we're not there by 5, we can hear him her quacking all the way up at the office (one of the secrets to whether a duck is a girl or boy? the girls are LOUDER! lol). Our office is at the top of a tall hill, and today we saw his her little white head bobbing around at the top of the hill so we took the hint and went out to feed him her.

Once he'd she'd had enough, he she waddled back down the hill and swam away :) I hate that somebody was cold enough to abandon him her, but we sure do get a lot of joy from having him her around!

With the holidays coming up it's more important than any other time of the year for shoppers to understand why it's important that they shop local.

It's not just so businesses can make money. It's also good for the shopper! Here's 10 reasons why, plus an infographic you can share.

Working on the rebranding and new website for Halifax County Tourism (currently under development) has reminded me of what a nice place this is to visit or live in. I know I'm biased, but the truth is that we have a wider variety of things to do and places to eat than most places with a much higher population.

Currently the Tourism website is really mostly a directory of businesses. The organization has never had the manpower or budget to develop content, so the site didn't do the area justice. In addressing that issue through this redevelopment, I'm continually discovering things about my home county that I had either forgotten or never knew about.

Just goes to show that "Discover Halifax" is the perfect name for the Tourism Deparment's marketing initiatives, because there's always something new to discover! Keep an eye out for upcoming social media campaigns that center around discovering Halifax; I'm hoping you'll open my eyes to even more unique things about the area.

Look for the new site and brand to be unveiled in a couple of weeks, along with two new features being added to the Visitors Center.

Here are just a few photos of things to do around the county. How many have you done? Did you know you can even take cheese making classes?

With 2014 on the horizon, most business owners are thinking about New Year's resolutions. To help you along the way, I've come up with a list of 14 things (in no particular order) to think about in your 2014 marketing. This will kick off a series of blog posts where I explain the importance of each. See you in 2014!

1. Consider co-marketing.
2. Focus on what you do best.
3. Follow industry blogs to keep up to date.
4. Explore buyer personas.
5. Update your FAQ's.
6. Deliver a consistent message.
7. Choose social channels that fit.
8. Keep it simple.
9. Use an email marketing system.
10. Think about giving rather than getting.
11. Start a blog, or actually use the one you have.
12. Integrate your marketing efforts.
13. Make sure you're mobile friendly.
14. Examine your brand and position.

We're in the process of renovating our bungalow on Banister Lake in Halifax into fun, modern office space.  Stay tuned as we post updates throughout the project. and when all is finished we hope you'll join us for the ribbon cutting!  At Glerin, every day is a day on the lake...